Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks hand Knicks a reality check in 121-111 loss

Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News on Oct 28, 2025

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MILWAUKEE — 33 minutes and 56 seconds.

That’s how long it took Giannis Antetokounmpo to wake up a Milwaukee Bucks fanbase that, much like his own first half, had been lifeless for most of the night.

Facing the Knicks for the first time since reports surfaced that he’d consider forcing a trade to New York next summer, Antetokounmpo opened quietly — uncharacteristically so for a player averaging 36 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists through the season’s first three games.

On the final play of the second quarter, he fired a clean pass to New York native Cole Anthony, wide-open in the corner for a 3 that could have cut the Knicks’ lead to single digits. Anthony missed badly. Antetokounmpo walked off the floor without a glance toward his teammate — no high-five, no word to anyone — and disappeared down the tunnel with 14 points, two rebounds and two assists. A fine half for most players.

Not for him.

Then he woke up.

By the time the buzzer sounded on a 121-111 Bucks victory, Antetokounmpo had dragged Milwaukee back from 14 points down, punctuating the comeback with the kind of stretch that reminds everyone why teams dream about — and fear — his next move. He finished with 37 points, eight rebounds and seven assists on 16-of-22 shooting from the field, 23 coming in the second half alone.

With 2:04 left in the third quarter, MVP chants echoed through Fiserv Forum as Antetokounmpo, by sheer force and relentlessness, erased what once felt like a safe Knicks cushion. The Bucks entered the fourth with a three-point lead, and from there, the outcome felt inevitable.

Antetokounmpo didn’t just win the game. He reminded everyone that he’s the kind of player franchises mortgage their futures for — the kind whose dominance can make any trade, any cost, seem worth it.

The tension had been brewing long before tipoff. Bucks head coach Doc Rivers once again brushed off the idea of any friction surrounding his superstar’s future — despite months of speculation that Antetokounmpo could have eyes for New York.

“No, I think you guys [New York media] had a lot of drama. We had none. That’s actual factual,” Rivers said before the game, later repeating himself with a grin when pressed further. “I’ve already said that. I’m not gonna keep repeating it. You want me to say it again for you? I’ve said it 100 times. And we mean that.”

Rivers’ insistence didn’t change the undercurrent in the building — not for the Bucks, and not for the Knicks.

Mikal Bridges, typically even-keeled, grew visibly animated as the Bucks surged in the fourth. Karl-Anthony Towns, meanwhile, vanished. He took no shots in the first quarter, one in the second, and went 1 for 9 in the third, finishing with just eight points — only the 20th single-digit scoring game of his career, and his second as a Knick.

Jalen Brunson did everything he could to stem the tide: 36 points, four rebounds, three assists and a brief injury scare that silenced the arena. In the third quarter, Brunson slipped and appeared to tweak his groin, then outright collapsed on an isolation possession against Antetokounmpo, needing assistance to the bench and sitting directly on the floor. He checked back into the game but was unable to deliver his usual clutch heroics after the scare.

And after the final horn, Brunson and Antetokounmpo exchanged a quick hug at midcourt — a quiet acknowledgment between two players who might, someday, share more than a moment.

For now, that’s just a dream.

On Tuesday, it was reality — and reality hit hard. The Knicks, still adapting to Mike Brown’s new system, have dropped two straight on this three-game road trip, undone by inconsistency and lapses in defensive focus.

Antetokounmpo was the reminder of what they’re up against — and, perhaps, what they’d someday love to have.

Because if the Knicks don’t solve their issues soon, the arena they lost in on Tuesday could eventually become home for the players sent out in a potential deal for The Greek Freak, who just tore them apart Tuesday night.

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